Panel OKs ‘Base Budget’ Bills

By Josh Loftin Deseret Morning News

If only the second half of the state’s budget could be handled this easily:

House and Senate leaders from both parties that make up the Executive Appropriations Committee took all of a half hour Wednesday afternoon to unanimously approve two “base budget” bills that account for $4.1 billion of the proposed $9.6 billion budget.

And most of that time was used to explain the budget process legislators will, ideally, follow.

SB1 and SB3 will essentially authorize last year’s appropriations for state agencies and public education, respectively. They will not include a number of other funding sources, such as federal funds or dedicated credits, which will be approved in subsequent bills as the Legislature’s general session progresses, said House budget manager Ron Bigelow, R-West Valley.

Leaders hope to have the bills passed by the 10th day of the general session, which begins Jan. 16. Before that, all of the appropriations subcommittees will review the budget proposals from all of the departments they oversee and propose any needed changes.

“These budgets will be reviewed, and there will be changes made by the subcommittees,” Bigelow said. “If history is any guide . . . there will be changes made to some programs.”

What leaders hope will not happen — at least publicly — is a repeat of last year, when an additional $70 million for transportation funding was stuck in the base budget bills. That money was the primary source of contention with Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr., and by putting it in the base budget bills, legislators, especially House members, forced him to decide on road money before the end of the session.

As of Wednesday’s meeting, no such moves had been made, despite a decision Tuesday by House Republicans to pursue $230 million in tax cuts. That amount would be almost four times the $60 million proposed by Huntsman.

Senate Republicans have not yet caucused about their budget priorities, although they plan to do so Tuesday. Democrats will introduce their own proposed budget early in the session.

The only changes made by the committee, in fact, were to approve $98 million in additional funding. Primarily, the money is needed to account for Medicaid inflation and public education enrollment growth, which almost every legislator agrees is necessary, Bigelow said.

E-mail: jloftin@desnews.com